SEVERAL MDC officials say there is nothing wrong in accepting some tractors from Mugabe's government

By Farisai Gonye 

HARARE – Several top Zimbabwean opposition officials have received cheaper-priced farm machinery funded by the government under its controversial land reforms despite previously denying benefiting from a scheme widely seen as an extension of President Robert Mugabe’s network of patronage. 

Investigations by ZimOnline showed that Welshman Ncube, secretary general of the smaller faction of the Movement for Democratic Change party (MDC) led by academic Arthur Mutambara, and Bulawayo mayor Joshua Ndabeni Ncube were among several opposition officials to get equipment under the scheme, even ahead of some of Mugabe’s top lieutenants. 

The two factions of the splintered (MDC) last month spiritedly denied benefiting from the scheme and accused the government of cheap politicking and of falsely including names of some of their officials on a list of people who were to receive state-funded farm equipment. 

The MDC - which accuses Mugabe of dishing out land, farming inputs  and fuel to cronies – said none of their officials were beneficiaries of the government farm equipment scheme. 

The denial by the MDC came after political analysts criticised the opposition party of naively accepting favours from the government and blindly falling prey to Mugabe’s politics of patronage. 

The analysts said by accepting tractors and other equipment from the same government it accuses of wrongfully using state resources to buy loyalty and of presiding over an economic meltdown, the MDC was surrendering its higher moral ground to criticise Mugabe and his ruling ZANU PF party. 

But Gabriel Chaibva of the Mutambara-led MDC on Thursday sought to downplay the accusations of duplicity, saying there was nothing wrong in accepting tractors and other equipment from the government that were meant to assist in producing food for the country. 

“We are talking about agricultural equipment that is intended to benefit and assist those involved in farming. If I had access to that equipment I would also welcome it . . . we will continue attacking Mugabe and his murderous regime but we will also continue receiving those tractors and that equipment,” said Chaibva. 

While Mutambara - who had been listed among beneficiaries promptly and contemptuously rejected the tractor offer - Chaibva said the Mutambara-led MDC had in fact not taken a formal position on whether its members could accept farming equipment from the government. 

"The president, (Arthur Mutambara), voiced concern at being included on the list when he was not actively in farming. The party did not make a formal position on the matter,” said Chaibva, dismissing those criticising MDC officials for accepting equipment from the government as mere armchair critics. 

Nelson Chamisa, spokesman of the main faction of the MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai insisted that none of the faction’s members had accepted farm machinery from the government. 

He said: "The party made a position that we would not accept that equipment because Mugabe is using it as a political gimmick. Those from our party who were listed as beneficiaries have since distanced themselves from the equipment because they are not farmers and they are not susceptible to Mugabe's politics of patronage,” said Chamisa. 

An overjoyed Minister of Agricultural Engineering, Joseph Made, boasted that some in the opposition had now seen the wisdom of joining hands with the government to make “our land revolution a success.” 

Made said: "Some of them have realised that politicking will not help. We have delivered some of the equipment and they have accepted ownership. They have their equipment and they have joined hands with us to make our land revolution a success by producing food for the nation." 

According to documents in the possession of ZimOnline, Welshman Ncube received a Massey Ferguson tractor with engine number 8045-25L/406T137064 on June 15. The tractor was delivered at his Uvungu Farm/Meikles Estates. 

Ncube’s tractor was delivered on the same day that former MDC legislator Renson Gasela took delivery of a Landini 8860 tractor, serial number PLWLW 42190, at his farm in Lower Gweru. 

Ndabeni-Ncube received a Massey Ferguson 440 (SE), serial number 440-229190. The Bulawayo mayor also signed for several more pieces of equipment including a Bain standard plough, Bain T10 disc harrow and a vicon spreader, used for wheat planting.  

Another top official of the same MDC faction Paul Themba-Nyathi accepted on June 26 June a Same Explorer 85 tractor, serial number EXP855VT25066. 

Most of the MDC officials were not immediately available to comment on the matter but Ndabeni-Ncube echoed Chaibva's sentiments,  saying: "I am a farmer and I welcome any assistance that I can get to enhance my operations and improve on this country's food security." 

Analysts say Mugabe has managed to hang onto and consolidate power mainly through the support of the army and funding from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, which has continued to print money to oil the veteran leader’s patronage network. 

They said by consistently loosening the purse strings, Mugabe had been able to silence even officials in his ruling party who say the former guerrilla leader has become an obstacle to any turn-around strategy in the country’s political and economic fortunes. 

Once a model economy, Zimbabwe has plunged into deep recession, with its real gross domestic product shrinking by around 40 percent in the last 8 years and pushing inflation to the highest in the world at nearly 5 000 percent in May, while shortages of food, fuel and foreign currency persist. - ZimOnline